SUSTAINED Dialogue founded De-Stereotype Day last year, and by this year, colleges around the country are hoping to start the event at their own schools. Even so, the day has received criticism for being ineffective at actually stopping racism and stereotyping. Those claims are unfounded and lack knowledge about De-Stereotype Day, its effects and its purposes. De-Stereotype Day is a valuable event that doesn't deserve the criticism. It encourages dialogue about race and stereotypes, which is an important step that does lead directly to positive changes.
For one thing, De-Stereotype Day has been lumped into the pejorative category of "t-shirt activism." While the arguments for and against t-shirt activism could surely fill up several columns, it doesn't matter, because the day is not t-shirt activism. Yes, it utilizes a t-shirt to spread a message, but that doesn't mean it is trying to stand up for a cause merely by wearing a shirt with a slogan on it.
Andrew Fischer, a member of Sustained Dialogue and the main organizer for the 2007 De-Stereotype day, said in an interview that he wanted to make it clear that this is not t-shirt activism, that in fact the campaign is "based on dialogue." The shirts serve as ways to get people to talk about the issue. They are not simply to make statements, and the attitude is not that stereotyping will end because people wear shirts protesting it. The attitude is that people will talk about their stereotypes after seeing the shirts, and that's just what ended up happening.
Too many people think that fixing a problem involves finding one absolute solution. That strategy is completely unrealistic, and ends up eliminating a lot of great ideas that can actually bring about progress. Racism and stereotyping are no exceptions to this widely-used policy, and it just doesn't make any sense. Stereotyping is a huge issue, permeating many aspects of almost every society. There is no immediate, end-all solution to get people to stop stereotyping and judging people based on superficial traits. It just won't happen, and that's an unfortunate fact. Small efforts can be made, though, and one type of effort is simply encouraging dialogue. That's just what Sustained Dialogue tries to do. Getting people to talk about it in order to realize what is actually going on is a good first step in reducing the problem.
Many at the De-stereotype Day reception discussed how everyone stereotypes; they judge people they know and ones they don't know based on initial impressions, looks or a person's background. People may know they do it, but they do not understand the extent, and often think they are tolerant. That's why efforts like that of De-Stereotype Day are so necessary.
I talked with many participants about their experiences with De-Stereotype Day, most of whom did not have crazy anecdotes, but they did not need them to know that they made a difference. They wore their shirts, and got people to talk about them. Participants had inquiries all day as to what their shirt said. Other students were often surprised by what the shirts said. Any person who read a shirt was probably surprised, because every shirt proudly displayed a stereotype the wearer defied. So an immediate result is that many students were able to reflect on their own stereotyping; if they were surprised to read a shirt, they subscribe to stereotypes. Beyond personal reflection, the shirts sparked discussion all over Grounds yesterday. Students, in t-shirts or not, talked about their own stereotypes and reconsidered how they judge other people.
Fischer was able to witness some discussion first hand as he went through his day. He was in a class where "everyone was engaged" in discussion about stereotyping. Even the professor was asking about it, and Fischer described it as "amazing to see all the diverse people talking about stereotypes" and working together. He considers the day a success, because it sparked dialogue. And he's right. People talked about it. More than 1500 shirts were out, proving that anyone can defy a stereotype.
The shirts may not have permanently changed every student -- people will make stereotypes. No group has the audacity to promise or expect that. People did talk about it, though. Dialogue was sparked, and at least some opinions changed or began to change. Many of the participants and non-participants thought about their own individual opinions and will now work to change them. De-Stereotype Day forced students to question their own beliefs and how they saw themselves, which will be and already is leading to progress.
Ashlee Wilkins's column usually appears Fridays in The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at awilkins@cavalierdaily.com.
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